1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel support bearing assembly with sensor and in-wheel motor integration, in which a sensor that senses forces acting on a contact point between a drive wheel and a road surface is integrated into a wheel support bearing assembly of in-wheel motor type which includes a combination of a bearing unit, a reduction gear unit and an electric motor unit.
2. Description of Related Art
For driving stability control of an electric automotive vehicle equipped with a wheel support bearing assembly of in-wheel motor type that includes a combination of a bearing unit, a reduction gear unit, an electric motor unit and a brake unit, a technique has been proposed which uses a sensor to measure the forces along three axes perpendicular to each other, that act on a contact point between a drive wheel and a road surface. The measurements are based on the status of at least one of the following elements: the bearing unit; the electric motor unit; the reduction gear unit; and the brake unit (see Patent Document 1 listed below).